The subject application relates generally to a header for use with agricultural harvesters. In particular, the subject application relates to an adjustable row unit deck plate for an agricultural harvester header.
The header of an agricultural harvester or combine is provided with row dividers and associated hoods for directing rows of corn stalks to downstream separation devices known as row units. The row units include stalk receiving slots and stripping plates, snapping rolls, and opposed rearwardly moving gathering chains. Thus, e.g., following separation of ears from stalks by the snapping rolls and stripping plates (also known as stalk rolls and deck plates, respectively), the separated ears are delivered by the gathering chains to an auger which conveys the harvested ears to a feederhouse of the combine. Harvested ears are then processed to the combine's inner chambers for downstream processing.
Row unit frames are typically constructed with forwardly projecting members that support several components of the row unit including the deck plates, the stalk roll support bearings, the front gathering chain idlers, the hoods and the row dividers. The deck plates are flat or planar with their shape being dictated by the geometry of the row unit frames. As is known, the stalk rolls are disposed beneath the deck plates and are cooperatively rotated to pull the corn stalks downwardly into the stalk receiving slots where the ears come into contact with the deck plates and are snapped off of the stalks by the deck plates. The deck plates lie generally tangent to the upper surfaces of the stalk rolls and the stalk rolls engage the corn stalks at “pinch points” situated below the upper surfaces of deck plates. It has been observed that the greater the distance between the pinch points on the stalk rolls and the upper surfaces of the deck plates the greater the pulling force required to snap the corn ears from the stalks. In conventional headers e.g., corn headers, this pulling force often results in damage to the corn ears as they are stripped from the stalks. This phenomenon, known as “butt shelling,” can destroy the ears or, at minimum, reduce the amount of kernels that can be effectively harvested from the ears.
Moreover, current corn headers are equipped with row units in which the gap between the deck plates, i.e., the width of the stalk receiving slot, is fixed. A problem with stalk receiving slots with fixed spacing is that butt shelling is apt to occur in stalks that are measurably smaller in diameter than the fixed width of the slot. Further, smaller ears may be pulled completely through the fixed spacing stalk receiving slots and go unharvested.
Accordingly, there is still a need for a row unit deck plate that addresses the foregoing issues of conventional header. Such needs are satisfied by the subject application.